Even with both arms useless and a gun pressed to his forehead, the sniper showed no fear at all.
He strained his head upward, sneering at Lynn. "Urh.. Want to know.. haah.. who sent me? K-keep dreaming."
Before Lynn could speak, the sniper curled his tongue.
A cyanide capsule hidden behind his molars rolled forward—then he bit down hard.
Within two breaths, his pupils blew wide open.
His chest rose once… then never again.
Seeing the man go still, Lynn didn't need to guess who had sent them.
HYDRA!
Only those fanatics would send people who carried poison in their mouths.
Only those lunatics would gladly die the instant they were caught.
Lynn slowly stood, inhaling deeply.
After the intense fight he'd just been through, fury burned hot in his chest.
Alright. He hadn't wanted to get involved in their insane games. But they dared bring this straight to his doorstep?
Fine.
If HYDRA wanted to play ruthless, he'd show them what ruthless really looked like.
...
Not far from the block, inside a parked car, Jennifer lowered her binoculars. Seeing the rooftop fall silent, a faint sadness flickered through her eyes.
She stepped out of the car and stood silently, staring up at Lynn's apartment for a long time.
In her heart, she believed that once HYDRA made a move, Lynn couldn't possibly survive.
What a pity.
She had finally met someone she genuinely liked… only for him to die like this.
With a soft sigh, Jennifer got back into the driver's seat.
But just as she was about to turn the key—a cold gun barrel pressed against the side of her head.
Jennifer froze.
In the rearview mirror, she saw Lynn sitting calmly in the back seat.
Surprise flashed across her eyes, followed by a complicated mix of emotions.
"Lynn… you really aren't ordinary. An elite strike team and a top sniper couldn't kill you."
She exhaled shakily. "Actually, you were right to turn down my dinner invitation. My superior ordered me to poison you with cyanide tonight."
"But you refused. They grew impatient, so he sent in the assault team to execute you."
Hearing this, Lynn said lightly, "I didn't expect you to be HYDRA. Where's your superior? And your headquarters? Is it inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Jennifer blinked in surprise, turning to look at him. "We're not part of the HYDRA embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D."
"First. Drink this. Before I kill you.." Lynn pulled out a vial of truth serum and spoke calmly.
Without hesitation, Jennifer took it, lifted her head, and swallowed it in one go.
Then she gave him a bittersweet smile. "One last request, Lynn. For the sake of how long we've known each other… and how long I've liked you… please scatter my ashes in the Hudson River."
Believing it was poison, she whispered, "I heard that if your ashes are scattered into the Hudson, you can be reborn as a clean person in the next life."
"Who is your superior? Their contact information? Where is the base headquarters? Give me the names of every HYDRA member you know."
The serum took effect quickly. Under Lynn's questioning, Jennifer revealed everything without hesitation.
And only then did Lynn realize the truth: the ones trying to kill him weren't Alexander Pierce's HYDRA inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
It was The High Council of Hydra.
They knew he had cooperated with Natasha and the Avengers to wipe out the Vampires.
They knew the Vampires had been secretly working with them.
So to prevent leaks, they intended to eliminate him—and eventually every member of the Avengers.
His assassination was only the beginning.
After revealing everything she knew, Jennifer let out a hollow laugh. "Now that I've said all this… I have no escape. The Council of Elders implanted chips in people like us. The moment we betray them, they know immediately…"
"If I live, my parents and sister will definitely die."
After saying that, Jennifer looked at Lynn with a gaze full of quiet longing, as if trying to memorize his face before her final moment.
"Don't feel sad for me, Mr. Hall. I helped them try to kill you. And… this is a kind of release for me. I'm really so tired…"
Then she bit down on the cyanide hidden in the lining of her uniform.
Within seconds, her life faded away.
Lynn watched her still face, the faintest smile frozen on her lips...
He gently picked up the jacket from the passenger seat and draped it over her body.
Then he got out of the car and hurried back into his apartment.
A commotion of that scale was impossible to hide. It was only a matter of time before the NYPD arrived.
Sure enough, not long after he returned, George Stacy burst through the door with a squad of heavily armed officers.
Seeing Lynn sitting calmly on the sofa, sipping a drink without a single visible injury, George finally let out a long breath.
As for the group behind George, when they saw the mess and bullet holes all over the house, and the dozens of fully armed bodies on the ground. All the NYPD officers gasped. And when they looked at Lynn, their eyes were filled with respect.
People naturally respect skilled officers—especially the kind of skills that far surpass their own.
And seeing someone take down an entire assault squad alone…
If it had been any of them, they would've been lying on the floor full of holes.
George Stacy, now fully relieved, holstered his pistol and walked over to sit beside Lynn.
He grabbed the bottle, poured himself a drink, and downed it in one shot.
Only then did he exhale and say, slowly but heavily, "I heard the emergency call—a shootout in your apartment. I was scared out of my mind."
"But you're fine. That's good. That's really good."
He repeated it several times before finally looking at the bodies scattered across the apartment.
His gaze darkened with anger.
"Do you know who these people really are?"
"Of course."
Lynn glanced at the bullet-riddled coffee table, then let the glass slip from his hand and shatter on the floor.
"George, I'll leave the bodies to you. And help me apply for a month's leave. I'm going to Europe."
The tone was calm—but the cold murderous intent in Lynn's voice didn't match his usual relaxed, lazy temperament at all.
George nodded. "No problem. But are you sure you don't need my help? Don't forget, I crawled out of a battlefield too."
"Thanks," Lynn said, rising to his feet. "But I'll handle this myself."
Lynn walked over to the battered wardrobe, pushed aside the torn shirts, and pulled out a clean black trench coat. He slipped it on, adjusted the collar, and said coldly, "An eye for an eye. Blood for blood."
"It's time those bastards learned they picked the wrong man to mess with."
Seeing the murderous aura rolling off him, George Stacy stood as well. "Alright. But don't die."
"Relax. Even if they die a hundred times over, I won't."
With that, Lynn nodded once and strode out the door.
_______
(づ￣ 3￣)づ
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